The Tuesday Zeitgeist (Issue 2)
Community Goods, Okay to Rest, a NYC Photobooth, and the Bed-Stuy Fish Pond.
In this week’s issue:
Where design, food, and influencers meet
A brand that says it’s okay to rest
Humanrace x Evian: Skincare & Rejuvenation?
4 poses, 8 dollars: The Old Friend Photobooth in New York
Have you heard of the Bed-Stuy Fish Pond?
What do you do with $300 worth of yarn?
Email users: This article is image-heavy, so hit the three dots to the left if images are missing!
(Disclaimer: None of the products linked are affiliate links.)
Where design, food, and influencers meet
Community Goods is an LA-based coffee shop, one that I’ve never visited, but came across through social media. Think Erewhon, but an eatery instead of a grocery store. The thing that struck me most about this cafe is not its food or beverage range, but rather the atmosphere and design execution. The orange-and-black logo is simplistic, but for some reason it stands out to me very well. Wooden beams, wooden benches, concrete floor, stone counters—I’m a big fan. Making it vintage and full of heritage, but keeping it modern.
Read more about the shop in this LA Times article, which featured interviews with the co-founder Pedro Cavaliere, and customers of the community.
via @thecommunitygoods. Coffee and interiors. 
Image via theagingbartender.com. Community Goods Store Interior.
A brand that says it’s okay to rest…
I want to talk a little bit about this brand called “Okay to Rest.” Like the name suggests, Okay to Rest (OTR) is a Canadian-based clothing brand centered around the idea of taking time and being gentle with yourself. With an ethos that is the antithesis of hustle culture, OTR executes its value brilliantly, producing items that are ethically sourced (“Produced within local textile facilities […] ensuring that all textile workers are safe, comfortable, and earning a living wage.”) I love discovering brands like these because a brand’s core value tends to be more important to me than how an article of clothing looks on the exterior. If I feel true to the brand, I feel good in the clothes. It’s as simple as that. I will say though, I’ve yet to own a piece from OTR, but if I were to buy one, it would be this unisex OTR Rodeo Tee, which goes for $60 CAD /~44 USD. The equestrian design, cursive lettering and retro vibes is perfect.
Also, a few weeks ago, I wrote about Library Science, the online book club by Kaia Gerber and Alyssa Reeder. Last week, the brand said that they’ll be restocking their Namesake hats (40USD /~54 CAD). For all you book enthusiasts, this one’s for you! Keep you eyes peeled!
In other news, their September book pick for this month is Dear Dickhead.
Humanrace x Evian: Skincare and Rejuvenation?
Pharrell, who is also the creative director of Louis Vuitton, founded Humanrace as a luxury (skincare) brand. I’m a big fan of Humanrace’s branding in its signature kelly green and sleek packaging. As an observer, I feel like gentleness and care is conveyed in the details, like how the edges aren’t cornered, but rather rounded for harmony. In an interview with GQ from 2021, Pharrell said of his brand, “It has to look beautiful, be made beautiful, but also be useful. […] That’s the ultimate luxury: looking after yourself, looking after others, and just being considerate of the environment. That’s what we want to do with Humanrace.”
The collaboration collection—which was released at the end of August just before the US Open—featured tennis-themed apparel products with the Humanrace and Evian Logo stacked, ranging from a $75 cap to an $180 carry-all tote Bag, which “focuses on the functional simplicity of the everyday while drawing inspiration from sports and rejuvenation.”
via @humanrace. Quarter Zip - $195 USD/ ~268 CAD, Cap - $75 USD/ ~103 CAD, Tote - $180 USD/ ~248 CAD. The thing that stood out to me about this collection wasn’t the collection itself, but a post by Humanrace that showed an image carousel of the work in progress from the development of the clothing line. I love when I get to peek behind the polished photoshoots and see the process that goes into making these final products. It’s hours and hours of picking from near-identical color Pantone swatches, styling for product images, and business decision-making that tends to be overlooked.
via @humanrace. (1) Color Selection, (2) Sketches + Material review. 
via @humanrace. (3) Woven label samples, (4) Campaign Shoot, Paris.
4 poses, 8 dollars: The Old Friend Photobooth in New York
Yesterday, I read this piece in last week’s issue of The Economist, which basically discussed that the demand for high-end camera like the Leica ($6000 for the Q3 model) and Fujifilm ($1600 for the X100 model) are on the rise. The Fujifilm in particular is known for emulating the beautiful colors of film digitally. Vintage has always been trendy, but to turn it into a business, is genius.
I came across this New York photobooth a while ago on Emily Sundburg’s Feed Me (which is a great business-culture newsletter, by the way) and the booth is run by couple Zoë Lazerson & Brandon Minton. Then, I recently saw that they were featured in the New York Times. For 8 dollars, you get four flash snaps before being printed onto a strip of film.
‘“It’s a dying art form,” Ms. Lazerson said. “There’s a community of people that want to keep it alive. And we’re along for the ride.”’
If you’re in New York, check it out: 117 Orchard Street, 10AM - 10PM.
Also, I thought the scrapbook-like graphics for the booth’s poster looked so cool and upon the tag inspection, I learned that it was designed by Sav Lawson (@savlawson.work). Great work!
Have you heard of the Bed-Stuy Fish Pond?
If you have 7 minutes to spare, Casey Neistat uploaded a video for the first time in 6 months about the Bed-Stuy Fish Pond. It’s a great watch! A month or so ago, I remember seeing this cool pond (more so puddle) of fishes, with water being fed by a leaky fire hydrant. Every other day, I would come across videos with progress updates on the pond. I don’t know, I like this little community project because it gave me a little hope in the world and something for me to smile at. At the same time, there are some controversies about the unsuitable living conditions of the goldfishes.
If you want to read into it more, NYTimes wrote an article on it.
Also, if you’re wondering what Bed-Stuy means (because I did), it’s the name of the neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, where the pond is located.
What do you do with $300 worth of yarn?
There’s a box that’s been sitting at a corner of my apartment for a while now. In it is filled to the brim with balls of yarn, of different colors, of different sizes.
Here’s the backstory. Last summer, I picked up my crochet hook and began crocheting again. I made a farmer’s market tote, but my specialty really was the beanie. Boy, did I make so many beanies last winter. And also hoarded a lot of yarn. Then, of course, life got in the way and progress stalled. Now that it’s beginning Fall and Montreal gets swept by a (short) cold spell for the first time in a while, I thought it’d be worthwhile to start crocheting again. Staying inside with a good movie, making hot tea, and crocheting—can you really complain? Truth be told, I haven’t gotten to that yet. For now, it’s just me staring at the box and the box staring right back at me. I will get back to it eventually—and until then, I’ll share the progress here on the newsletter.
With that, the second issue of The Zeitgeist comes to an end. I’m curious to hear your thoughts about the topics discussed today, so let me know in the comments! Have a great day, and I’ll see you next week!
-CS